


He Fell

by EllenofX



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Determination, Other, The Void, Undertale Genocide Route, falling
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-28
Updated: 2016-09-28
Packaged: 2018-08-18 06:56:00
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,441
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8153053
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EllenofX/pseuds/EllenofX
Summary: The Void.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I literally have no idea why I wrote this.
> 
> I'm publishing it though because I really need some purpose to my life other then work right now.

The shock was immediate. Sure, it hurt, but that faded quickly as he simply… Fell. Legs sprawled in front of him and everything, like a child who was pushed on the playground. The way his tailbone struck the floor below him should’ve had him cursing up a storm from pain, but right now that seemed insignificant. It was strange, he’d just died and all he could think was _“9999999? Jesus, kiddo… That’s just overkill.”_

His hand was clasp over the wound reflexively, grasping senselessly into the red. Blood? Marrow? Sans didn’t know. Hell, maybe it was ketchup. Some part of him wanted to laugh at that, but instead he coughed and closed his eyes and waited to feel himself dust.

And waited. 

And… Waited?

He opened his eyes. Same hallway, same wound, same seeping numbness. The kid stood in front of him, kind of just… staring. They almost looked annoyed despite that wide smile plastered on their face.

“so…” He said, breaking the silence, “guess that it, huh?”

It was awkward, just sitting here, dying with his murderer watching him like that. What was he supposed to do? Give a fucking speech or something? Screw that, dirty fucking brother killer didn’t deserve it. Again, Sans suppressed a dark chuckle. Might as well give the kid something to think about.

“just…” He breathed, surprised by how much energy it seemed to take just to talk, “don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

Could he stand? He wanted to stand. He had… Better places to be than with this weirdo. Yes, thank god, he could stand. Walking though? Heh. He’d manage. He gave the kid one last long, exhausted analysis and wow, the look on the kid’s face… they really were some kind of freak. But that didn’t matter anymore.

“welp.” He shrugged, “i’m going to grillby’s.”

And with that, Sans staggered to his final exit. Grillby’s? Yeah, Grillby’s. He didn’t love the house without his brother in it, so leaving his dust there… that would just be painful. 

Oh, god, _Papyrus_.

\---

_“papyrus, do you want anything?”_

\---

“YES, LAZYBONES! I WANT YOU WAKE UP!”

Sans opened his eyes to nothing. Pure black, stretching off into infinity. Instantly, he shut his eyes again, covering his face with his hands, feeling nauseated. The view – it was too much nothing - making his head spin madly and his heart pound. What – _where_ was he?

“SANS?”

No. No, no, no, not this. He was hearing things. He was hearing things after this was all supposed to stop. The last round. The end game. No more waking up and waiting and watching and knowing his brother ~~lived-  
died-  
dated-  
forgave~~-  
existed and then did not on the whims of a child. Sans had thought that after this… With all the timelines ending maybe he’d finally get some rest. What a foolish, hopeful thought.

He couldn’t take it, curling up into the fetal position like he had on his bed so many times before. Reset after reset… had he finally lost his mind? It seemed likely. First he had nightmares, then he stopped sleeping entirely. This was the final step. Madness…

He was floating in literal nothingness. That did sound pretty crazy.

“COME HERE.”

Suddenly Sans was grabbed by the back of his hoodie collar, pulled upwards… or at least backwards. He couldn’t tell, even though his eyes were wide open now, limbs flailing outwards in panic. But then familiar arms enfolded him, turning him until his vision was filled red and white which seemed so bright and vibrant after just a few minutes of the pure blank.

“THERE WE ARE.”

Sans blinked.

“paps…” He couldn’t breathe, “papyrus?”

“NYEH HEH HEH! OF COURSE, WHO DID YOU EXPECT?”

“i…” Sans didn’t continue, he physically couldn’t, not without sobbing like a child. Yes, madness. This was madness. Even so, tears were streaming down his face, and he pitched forward to wrap his arms around his brother. He didn’t care if this was a fragment of his own broken mind, this was Papyrus. And for once, Papyrus was quiet, simply patting Sans’ back as he cried silently into the taller skeleton’s shoulder. Soon he was finished, and pushed away to get a better look at his brother. His _dead_ brother…

“papyrus, i don’t understand. what’s going on?”

“HONESTLY, SANS, I DON’T REALLY KNOW. ONE MOMENT I WAS TALKING TO THE HUMAN IN SNOWDIN AND THEN… THEN…” Papyrus trailed off, his expression going soft and sorrowful a moment before instantly brightening. “BUT THAT DOESN’T MATTER NOW! I HAVE SOMEONE FOR YOU TO MEET!”

“meet?” Sans said, “papyrus, who could we possibly-”

But Papyrus was already walking in an insane, logic breaking way. His feet hit nothing and nothing _changed_ around them as they moved forward, towards _more_ nothing and _more nothing_ and… A lone figure appeared, looming from the endless gray like a tombstone in the fog. Sans felt immediate fear upon seeing it, the figure which stood tall, taller than Papyrus, probably taller than King Fluffybuns himself. The figure that appeared darker then the aching abyss that surrounded it, but only slightly. Whose body shifted and coiled sickly like the ink of poorly dyed fabric in water, billowing against the lower limits only its own body defined, yet even that was not. The figure who was one with the void.

Something was wrong, horribly, horribly wrong, and Sans stared with blind terror as the figure turned towards him, the sudden white of its face cutting through the dark-that-wasn’t-dark. He wanted to struggle, to push off of Papyrus away from that _thing_ , but he couldn’t. He just stared and…

_SANS_

It said. Or rather, didn’t say. Though somehow Sans had heard… him. The Tall Man, who stood alone in darkness.

_WHAT TOOK YOU SO LONG?_

“t-took me so long?” Sans said, his fear fading, replaced by an overwhelming static in his head. “you’ve been expecting me?”

 _YES, OF COURSE._ The Tall Man said, _I AM SORRY FOR WHAT HAPPENS NEXT._

Sans _knew_ the tall man, somehow, but… he couldn’t remember.

“what happens next?”

The Tall Man did not reply. Instead, he sighed without breathing, the noise a gentle hiss that sounded harsh in the silence. The Tall Man turned away, because he didn’t want to watch this time, as he had what happened to himself, and after a moment there was a sharp intake of breath from the newcomer behind him. 

“what happens next?” Sans asked again, but his voice was harsher now, demanding. The Tall man ignored him.

“papyrus, what’s going to happen?”

“SANS, I… HE JUST TOLD ME TO HOLD ON TO YOU.”

“what?”

Sans stared at Papyrus, who could only frown in response, the red of his scarf still so distractingly _vibrant_ in this place.

“i don’t like this.” Sans said, “put me down.”

“I CAN’T.”

“put me down, papyrus.” Sans repeated, and this time he tried to push away from his brother. He knew it wouldn’t work, Papyrus was always much stronger then him, and right now the taller skeleton was holding him firmly, cradling him with stiffness Sans had failed to notice until now. Something was wrong, Sans was very rapidly realizing. He felt damp, sticky, like he did after a few long hours in his hotdog stand in Hotland. But this was different. Cold, like Snowdin.

“P a p y r u s . . .” Sans started, but it was too late, a sudden, rising wave of pain silencing him before his scream tore through the…

 _THAT WILL BE OVER SOON_ The Tall Man said, in one of the moments of comparative silence when Sans ran out of breath, pained wheezing replacing the noises so loud that Papyrus could hardly believe that Sans had made them. Papyrus didn’t acknowledge the statement. It didn’t comfort him, and he couldn’t imagine The Tall Man was trying to comfort Sans with words right now, not as he writhed in Papyrus’ arms.

Papyrus tried to offer soothing words to his brother, tried to wrap him more gently in his embrace, but it was pointless. Sans just kept clawing and screaming, so Papyrus just held on to him. He had to. He believed in The Tall Man.

An instant or a decade later, there was silence again, and Papyrus shook Sans gently.

“BROTHER? ARE YOU OKAY?”

Sans did not respond, only reached up to pull himself tighter to Papyrus. His hand was slick, and at first Papyrus assumed it was sweaty, until he looked down to see his brother’s face. Sans grin was there, his large, round eyes, but the rest of his skull had contorted like a wax sculpture in the sun. Papyrus suppressed a gasp, helped Sans closer, and held him. 

How long had he been here? How long ago had he met The Tall Man and put his faith in him? Papyrus couldn’t remember anymore; everything was strange here, warped and muted, even time passing. Because of that, it didn’t bother him so much, the way his brother changed, whatever horror he should feel far removed and greatly eclipsed by the simple fact that Sans was _here_. Somehow, that made everything seem better.

After some time, a machine appeared. Papyrus did not know where it came from, nor where it went, and it seemed a very long time since he had tried to ask. He wasn’t going to again, not while the machine was here and The Tall Man was messing with it and murmuring to himself.

_ENTRY NUMBER TWENTYTHREE_   
_DARK DARKER YET DARKER_   
_THE DARKNESS KEEPS GROWING_   
_THE SHADOWS CUTTING DEEPER_   
_PHOTON READINGS NEGATIVE_   
_THIS NEXT EXPERIMENT SEEMS_   
_VERY_   
_VERY_   
_INTERESTING_   
_..._   
_WHAT DO YOU TWO THINK?_

After that, as it always did, the machine faded from existence. Or into existence? Papyrus had had what seemed like a very long time to think about it and it still confused him. The Tall Man’s explanations didn’t help much, particularly as he stared blankly into the seamless distance without ever really seeming to meet Papyrus’ gaze.

 _i remember…_ Sans expressed, his real voice simply gone, like The Tall Man’s, _i remember you._

 _DO YOU?_ The Tall Man replied, _I DON’T REMEMBER MYSELF, ALWAYS…_

 _of course,_ Sans said, _i’d never forget._

“AM I MISSING SOMETHING?” Papyrus asked, his lost piling on top of his lost.

 _heh_ Sans replied, _paps, meet our father._

“OUR FATHER!?” Papyrus said, “BUT YOU SAID HE FELL!”

 _I DID FALL,_ The Tall Man said, finally turning to face them. There was a long pause, The Tall Man’s mask contorting as he seemed to struggle with a thought.

 _YES…_ He said again, _I FELL A LONG, LONG TIME AGO, DIDN’T I?”_

_His expression shifted, if only slightly, went sad and sorrowful, and when he spoke again it was soft and without the self-assured candor his voice had always held previously. _IT DOESN’T FEEL SO LONG AGO, SOMETIMES, BUT… I LEFT MY SONS BEHIND… I…__

_“WHY DIDN’T YOU TELL ME SOONER?”_

_The Tall Man looked sad, the cracks in his face plying wider as he frowned. _I HAVEN’T SEEN YOU SINCE YOU WERE BARELY ABLE TO REACH MY COATTAILS. NOW I DON’T EVEN HAVE COATTAILS, LET ALONE EXIST.__

_“EXIST?”_

__YES,_ Gaster said, _WELCOME TO THE VOID, WHERE ALL ERASED FILES END UP.__

__heh… heh… so that’s where this is?_ Sans said, _i wondered… ____

___Then, _i tried to save you. so many times, i tried, with alphys, but then… _____ _

______ENTRY NUMBER SEVENTEEN_ The Tall Man said, and for a moment Papyrus thought another machine had come, but there was no sign of one._ _ _ _ _

______yeah. entry number seventeen._ _ _ _ _ _

______I KNEW THAT ONE WOULD ALMOST WORK. I SHOULD’VE SAID SOMETHING MORE…I SHOULD’VE SAID I…_ _ _ _ _ _

_____The Tall Man didn’t continue. He didn’t need to. Papyrus came forward, shifting his grip on Sans to throw one arm around the loose form of their father. He felt ethereal, like sheets blowing in the wind, with barely any substance to him even as he returned Papyrus’ embrace. Sans loosened his grip on Papyrus for a moment, to give his father a brief hug, over long before the other two were finished. When they separated, there was silence, then Sans spoke._ _ _ _ _

_____ _ _ _

______is papyrus…?_ _ _ _ _ _

______NO, NO, HE WAS TOO YOUNG, REMEMBER? IT’S THE HIGHER CONCENTRATION THAT CUASES IT._ _ _ _ _ _

______good,_ Sans responded, again tightening his grip on his brother, _i’m glad.__ _ _ _ _

_____“AM I WHAT?”_ _ _ _ _

_____Sans reached one hand up to display distorted phalanges an explanation._ _ _ _ _

_____“OH.” A beat, and Papyrus scrunched his brow, “DOES IT HURT?”_ _ _ _ _

______…nah…_ _ _ _ _ _

_____“SANS!”_ _ _ _ _

______a bit._ _ _ _ _ _

______THAT WILL FADE WITH TIME,_ The Tall Man said. He wasn’t really sure of this. It was possible he had just gotten used to it. But that didn’t matter right now, because he was happy, or as close to happy as he could get. His sons were here and he remembered himself and another machine, another chance to escape, was nearing. It came and went, even as time stood still, the only maker of progress the arrival and departure of machines as The Tall Man’s tally changed._ _ _ _ _

______ENTRY NUMBER SIXTEEN_   
_DARK DARKER YET DARKER_   
_THE DARKNESS KEEPS GROWING_   
_THE SHADOWS CUTTING DEEPER_   
_PHOTON READINGS NEGATIVE_   
_THIS NEXT EXPERIMENT SEEMS_   
_VERY_   
_VERY_   
_INTERESTING_   
_..._   
_WHAT DO YOU TWO THINK?_ _ _ _ _ _

_____Papyrus told The Tall Man that he believed in him, and even if this one didn’t work, that only meant they were one closer to the machine that would. Sans made a joke he’d made a hundred times before and wrapped his arms tighter around Papyrus, settling in for another nap. Sometimes they would talk to each other, more often they did not. By now they were all well versed in silence, comfortable with it. Now, when the machine came, Papyrus would try to help._ _ _ _ _

______ENTRY NUMBER FOUR THOUSAND TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY SIX_   
_DARK DARKER YET DARKER_   
_THE DARKNESS KEEPS GROWING_   
_THE SHADOWS CUTTING DEEPER_   
_PHOTON READINGS NEGATIVE_   
_THIS NEXT EXPERIMENT SEEMS_   
_VERY_   
_VERY_   
_INTERESTING_   
_..._   
_WHAT DO YOU TWO THINK?_ _ _ _ _ _

_____The Guardsman told The Tall Man that he believed in him, and that even it didn’t work out this time, at least they still had each other. The Comedian made a joke he’d never made before, shifting so that he could better see what The Tall Man and his brother had done. He pressed a button he’d never pressed before the machine left, but it didn’t make a difference. Oh well, they’d have a chance to do the same things next time._ _ _ _ _

______ENTRY NUMBER FOUR_   
_DARK DARKER YET DARKER_   
_THE DARKNESS KEEPS GROWING_   
_THE SHADOWS CUTTING DEEPER_   
_PHOTON READINGS NEGATIVE_   
_THIS NEXT EXPERIMENT SEEMS_   
_VERY_   
_VERY_   
_INTERESTING_   
_..._   
_WHAT DO YOU TWO THINK?_ _ _ _ _ _

_____In the twilight of existence, a family drifted. All of them were smiling._ _ _ _ _

**Author's Note:**

> Might re-work and edit this later, so... Yeah. Don't shoot me if this changes completely.


End file.
